


Soap

by elysium (lawlietslullaby)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, autistic keith with depression, can be read platonic, lance bathes keith, non sexual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 19:18:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8680237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lawlietslullaby/pseuds/elysium
Summary: “You know you have to shower but you just...can’t make yourself do it?” Keith nodded.
“Pretty much, and it’s not even like I don’t want to shower. I do. I feel disgusting, but my body doesn’t wanna do what I wanna do. It wants to lay here.” Lance nodded, taking it in.
“Okay, well let’s see. Shiro has always wanted us to get closer, and what better way to do that than showering together?”
“What?” Keith asked, taken aback.
“Okay, let me reword that. Let me get you in the shower and get you cleaned up. That sound okay? I’ll keep my clothes on. Unless you feel up to washing yourself. But it sounds like you’re having a rough day.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> it's that Executive Dysfunction y'all...

Looking at the clock for the fifth time, and finally admitting that time refused to stop for him, Keith sighed. Noticing his disappointment, Lance looked up from across the room.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I have to shower.” Keith said, flatly.

 

“So shower?” Lance supplied.

 

“It’s not that easy,” He said, looking down. “I mean, it should be, but it’s just not.” Lance seemed to catch that it wasn’t just laziness, and sat down next to him on the bed. His expression was patient.

 

“You know you have to shower but you just...can’t make yourself do it?” Keith nodded.

 

“Pretty much, and it’s not even like I don’t want to shower. I do. I feel disgusting, but my body doesn’t wanna do what I wanna do. It wants to lay here.” Lance nodded, taking it in.

 

“Okay, well let’s see. Shiro has always wanted us to get closer, and what better way to do that than showering together?”

 

“What?” Keith asked, taken aback.

 

“Okay, let me reword that. Let me get you in the shower and get you cleaned up. That sound okay? I’ll keep my clothes on. Unless you feel up to washing yourself. But it sounds like you’re having a rough day.”

 

“You really don’t have to do that..”   
  


“No. But I offered didn’t I?”

 

“I suppose that’s true…” Keith admitted. 

 

“So, I have no problem helping you out, mullet. Let’s go.”

 

Which is how Lance helped pull Keith out of bed and take him to the bathroom. He turned his back while Keith changed, and Keith sat down, hugging himself in the bathtub. When Keith cleared his throat, Lance turned back around and rubbed his hands together.

 

“Okay. So hair first? Or…? Top to bottom?”

 

“Whatever works for you. I can’t believe you’re doing this in the first place.” Keith said, reaching up to turn on the hot water. The was cold only briefly as it became warm and began to fill the tub. Meanwhile, Lance was taking off his jeans and standing there in his boxers, rolling up his sleeves. 

 

“Oh, fuck. I forgot the cup,” He said, standing there pantsless.

 

“The cup?”

 

“You know, like the cup your mom used to rinse your hair when you were little?” He asked, making scooping motions with his hand, as if he were already holding a cup.

 

“No…” Keith said, and Lance stared for a second.

 

“Oh. Okay.” He sensed a light tension, not that Keith was making it especially awkward. “I’m gonna run out and get the cup.”

 

“With no pants?”

 

“Life fast, die young, Keith.”

 

“What does that even mean?” Keith asked, as Lance left.

 

“I’ll be right back!” Lance called, and Keith heard a shriek, presumably Allura’s.

 

“Sorry, Princess! I’ll explain later.” He heard Lance say, and then a minute passed and Lance was walking back in with a rather large cup. He sighed.

 

“Woo, I’ll tell you, Keith. I went through hell for this. I said, ‘Coran, you got any big cups?’ and he’s like ‘Aw, crikey. What’s a cup?’ Okay, so he didn’t really say ‘crikey’, but isn’t that just something he’d say? Anyways, I didn’t know how to explain it so I was like ‘A thing that holds liquids’? And he was like ‘Gotcha, here you go’ and he hands me this thing. It’s huge. It’s practically a bucket. It’s like a large drink at Burger King...What were we doing? Oh right the hair washing.”

 

“I’m glad you got an adventure out of it,” Keith smiled. “Coran didn’t question the lack of pants?” Lance laughed. He waved a hand dismissively.

 

“Not at all. He’s my bud. He gets it.”

 

“What does he get?”

 

“It.”

 

“Oh.” Keith said.

 

“So is that water warm enough?” Keith stuck a hand in. He nodded.

 

“Affirmative.” Lance snorted, getting in the tub with Keith. He was on his knees and moved for Keith to turn facing the faucet, so he could be behind him.

 

“We’re not at the Garrison anymore, cadet. There’s no need to talk like that.” He placed a warm hand on Keith’s bare back, and Keith felt safe, comforted, and then immediately embarrassed for feeling that way. 

 

“Tilt your head back,” Lance said, and Keith did. Lance reached in front of him to fill the cup with water, and then made a visor with his hand to shield Keith’s eyes from the water. He poured it backwards, towards Keith’s hair and let it run through it. His hands smelled like lotion. He poured another cup of water over Keith’s hair to wet it fully and then grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some into his hands.

 

“So,” He said, rubbing his hands together briefly to make it lather. “When you wash your hair, you really just need to focus on the scalp. Like, the water and shampoo foam will run through the ends and stuff. The oil collects on the top. That’s what makes your hair dirty.” He said, as his fingercombed the shampoo through Keith’s hair and lathered. Keith made a mental note to remember that.

 

“You know, this is the first time I’m seeing your forehead.” He was conversational, and even if Keith wasn’t being super responsive he appreciated that. “It’s a nice forehead. Why don’t you show it more?” Keith almost turned around to respond, and then remember he couldn’t.

 

“I don’t like not having my hair covering my face.” Lance chuckled.

 

“I can see that. Is it just a comfort thing?” Lance asked.

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Hm, well maybe give it a try sometime. You can always put them back down if you hate it.” 

 

“That’s true.”

 

“Okay, close your eyes. I don’t want any shampoo getting in them. This shit ain’t tear free, you know. Tilt,” He said, and poured a cup of water over Keith’s hair. He rubbed at Keith’s scalp and it was relaxing, it felt like a massage. Then he rinsed away the rest of the shampoo. The shampoo wasn’t too heavily scented, and his scalp felt refreshed. Lance grabbed for the conditioner and squeezed a liberal amount of it into his hands.

 

“Okay, so I’m guessing you don’t condition, but it’s good for your hair. Maybe try to do that like twice a week if you can manage it. But don’t put it on your scalp. It’ll make it greasy faster. It goes on the ends, and you work it a little bit up. You work it through. It’ll make your soft.” He could feel Lance rubbing conditioner into his ends and fingercombing knots out of his hair. He didn’t brush his hair very frequently and he suddenly was ashamed of how tangled it was. Lance didn’t seem to mind. He rinsed out the conditioner, and laughed.

 

“God, I’m an expert pilot, and a great hair washer. I love me.” Keith’s instinct was to scoff, but Lance was right. He  _ had _ kept them safe when he’d piloted Blue that first time, hadn’t he?

 

“Thanks, Lance.” 

 

“No prob!” He said brightly, and then was silent for a moment.

 

“So, next? Back? Back.” He decided, and reached for a wash cloth. He wet it with water and squeezed body wash onto it. He dragged it over Keith’s back, but he did it a little too rough and Keith winced.

 

“Am I scrubbing too hard?” A ridiculous question, because Keith wasn’t going to get picky when. Lance was being nice enough as it were.

 

“What?” Keith asked.

 

“Am I hurting you? With how hard I’m scrubbing?” 

 

“It’s fine.”

 

“Okay, because I’m gonna be pissed if you’re lying to me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because what if I want kids, Keith? What if I want kids and I have to bathe them, right? And I’m scrubbing away at poor Adan’s baby skin because you were too much of a weenie to tell me to take it down a notch?”

 

“Okay. Just a bit too hard.”

 

“There we go. You know, your back is kinda hairy.” He said, not rudely.

 

“It is?” He was a little embarrassed.

 

“Yeah, but the hair is so light, so I didn’t notice. But it’s there. Maybe you were right to believe in Bigfoot this whole time, Keith. Maybe you’re Bigfoot.” He laughed, and Keith flushed.

 

“Just kidding,” He said. “It’s soft. I’m super hairy myself, but you wouldn’t know it. He reached for Keith’s hand and put it on his thigh, hairless and soft. 

 

“I  _ shave.  _ Aren’t they nice? My leggies...My pride and joy.”

 

“They’re okay.” Lance snorted.

 

“They’re impeccable! It’s okay. You’ll admit it soon enough. Pretty soon, you’ll be the head of my fanclub, and every time I do something you’ll be like ‘Oh, Lance! You’re my hero! So funny and handsome! Such nice brown skin!’ It’s okay, I’m ready for it, and I’m waiting.”

  
“I don’t know about all that,” Keith smiled, “But you  _ kinda _ are my hero right now. My hygiene hero.”

 

“Damn right I am!” He said, and poured warm water over Keith’s back and arms. He whistled. “You are gonna be so fuckin clean, dude. You’re never going to want to shower alone again.” Keith laughed. It was raspy, and Lance found it endearing.

 

“That might be true.” It felt heavy in the room, and Lance was glad Keith couldn’t see his slightly surprised expression.

 

“Okay, chest. Turn around, I’m not looking down. It’s okay.” Keith turned around, slightly embarrassed, and he was face to face with Lance. Keith looked sweet, vulnerable with the water dripping off of him and his hair out of his face. It made him look younger. Lance smiled gently at him.

 

“You’re not so tough, are you?” He said, and Keith’s eyes widened a little.

 

“What’s that mean?”

 

“Nothing bad, just that you’re a kid too.” He said, moving the washcloth over Keith’s shoulders and down his chest. “You should let yourself be one, sometimes.” 

 

“You’re always so tense. Who are you acting so tough for? Shiro? He knows you’re a kid, too. He’s not going to look down on you.” Keith looked down.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Well, cut it out.” Lance said sharply, and Keith looked up, a little hurt, before he saw Lance smiling. “I’m joking, but seriously. Relax a bit.” He rinsed the soap off Keith’s chest and rose.

 

“You wanna do the rest?”

 

“Yeah, o-of course, but...Would you mind…?”

 

“What?” Lance asked, sitting on the counter.

 

“Staying in here?”

 

“No problem. Any other things you need help with? I’ve kinda got all day. See, I’m stuck on this spaceship and I don’t really have any other responsibilities to attend to.” Keith laughed, surprising himself.

 

“Hm, I need to eat, but other than that? Back to bed.”

 

“Oh, dude. Your face. I need to teach you how to wash your face. You put some soap on your hands - normally bar soap is a big no no, but hey, we’re in space - and start with your nose and rub outward in circular motions. Got it?”

 

“I think so,” Keith said, rubbing over his face self-consciously. “This feels weird. I’m not used to...skin care.” Lance laughed loudly.

 

“Oh, man. That was good. This is hardly face care. It’s just washing your face!”

 

“Oh.”

 

“See, that acne of yours will clear up a lot if you do simple stuff. It might not go away completely, depending on the cause, but it’s often a sign that you need to take a little bit better care of your body. Though that’s not always the reason. Do you drink enough water?”

 

“Oh, Lance.” Keith said, pausing his actions.

 

“Okay, so that’s a no. Alright, alright. Baby steps.”

 

“Sounds good.”

 

“You know,” Lance said. “This is gonna be good. I’ll take care of you. You’re under my wing, now.”

 

“Lance…”

 

“Nope! No objections! I conditioned your hair. There is no turning back.” Keith let himself smile.

 

“You’re a fucking...dork.”

“Oh shit, good one Kogane. How will I ever recover from that fucking massive burn you just inflicted upon me? Guess I’ll have to have Blue shoot her ice rays at me. Fuck, man. You ended me.”

 

“I  _ get it _ , Lance. It wasn’t my best comeback. Jesus.” Keith said. Talk about dramatic. 

 

“Just finish washing yourself up so we can get something to eat. We’re both too skinny. I can practically her my mom yelling at me to eat something.”

 

“Yeah, okay. Lance?”

 

“The one and only. Yeah?”

 

“That sounds okay.”

 

“What does?”

 

“Being under your wing, but you know what? I’m competitive, aren’t I? So it’s on.”

 

“What’s on? You’re not making sense.”

 

“I’m gonna take  _ better  _ care of you.”

 

“Um, I’m pretty sure I’m better at skincare.” Keith snorted. He waved a hand.

 

“Not that. I don’t even know what pores really are. Like, I’ll be covering you in battle. You’re vulnerable close up.” Lance groaned.

 

“Do you have to talk about fighting right now? I’m relaxed. It smells like soap in here. I’m chilling.”

 

“Fair enough.” Lance heard a splash. “Okay, I’m clean. Clean as I’m gonna get.” Keith said. 

 

Without being asked, Lance grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Keith. He smiled at him. Keith went to dry his hair with it and Lance cleared his throat.

 

“Don’t you dare do that shit! That rub your hair all over with the towel shit! Squeeze it with the towel. I didn’t condition those ends for you to split them all to hell.” Keith did as he said, and Lance smiled. “Okay, anyways.” He put an arm around Keith, still wrapped in the towel. “You look cute with your hair out of your face. I’m gonna find you a headband. Allura must have one. It’s a fashion staple? After we eat we can chill in my bed. Mine’s cooler than yours.”

 

“They’re the same bed, genius. They’re all the same.”

 

“Mine’s still better? It has me in it.” Lance said.

 

“Okay, sure.” Keith said.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.”

 

 

 

Later, in the bathroom Allura stopped and whispered to herself.

 

“ _ What the fuck… _ ”

 

Lance had left his pants in there.   
  


 


End file.
